WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 -- Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, issued the following news release: Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Representative Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ 2nd District) applauded the unanimous Senate passage of two bills, H.R. 7606 and H.R. 7607, renaming two United States Postal Service (USPS) post offices in Cape May County, New Jersey, in honor of Carlton H. Hand and George Henry White, respectively. The bills passed in the House of Representatives in June 2024 and now head to P  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, issued the following news release: Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a leader on the Senate Appropriations Committee, released the below statement after voting for a short-term government funding bill. "While I am glad we took the responsible step to avoid a shutdown--which would have had a detrimental impact to essential services that Americans rely on--we should not have been in this predicament in the first place. Desp  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-North Carolina, chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, issued the following statement on Dec. 20, 2024: * * * In response to the U.S. Department of Education's attempt to go back on its promise to students across the country, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) issued the following statement: "Liars always get caught in the end, and today's the end for the Biden administration and its illega  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 -- Rep. Tom Cole, R-Oklahoma, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2024: Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 10545, the American Relief Act, 2025. Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said, "Disasters know no bounds--they impact cities and states across this nation, leaving communities with destruction and despair. It's a dire reality faced by so many, including my own constituents in Oklahoma. In the face of re  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 -- The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality issued the following news release: The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is issuing permit modifications to two Duke Energy facilities for the replacement of their coal units with gas turbines, after substantially strengthening the permits based on public feedback. Division staff thoroughly reviewed public comments following two public hearings on the draf  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 -- The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality issued the following news release: The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality's Division of Air Quality (DAQ)is now accepting public comments on a draft Title V air quality permit modification for International Paper - Riegelwood Mill in Columbus County. The modification is expected to significantly reduce emissions of air pollution, particularly volatile organic compounds and sulfur dioxide.   more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 -- Gov. Roy Cooper, D-North Carolina, issued the following news release on Dec. 19, 2024: Governor Roy Cooper presented Coach Roy Williams with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the State's Highest Honorary Society, for his significant impact on the State of North Carolina during his tenure as Men's Basketball Coach at UNC Chapel Hill and for contributions to the state of North Carolina. "Coach Williams exemplifies what it means to be a Tar Heel and a North Caro  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the following news release: A New Bern man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for trafficking and distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl for a large-scale drug trafficking operation in Craven County. On August 8, 2024, a Raleigh jury found Lucio Camargo Garcia guilty of the charges. "Garcia took advantage of Craven County's most hopeless souls, extracting profit from their   more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the following news release: A Raleigh man was sentenced to 108 months in prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon that he used to shoot a person on March 21, 2023. On September 4, 2024, Robert Terrance Green, III pled guilty to the charges. "Robert Terrance Green III is a dangerous felon who has demonstrated a reckless disregard for the lives and property of ot  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina issued the following news release: Michael Lynn Russell, a 62-year-old resident of Fuquay-Varina, has been sentenced to 120 months in prison after being arrested twice for trafficking methamphetamine. Russell pled guilty on October 8, 2024. "This sentencing reflects the commitment of the Fuquay-Varina Police Department to protecting our community from the devastating impact of methamp  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 (TNSres) -- The North Carolina Department of Commerce issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2024: * * * Taskforce Recommendations Provide a Blueprint on How to Prepare North Carolina for Economic Opportunities of Offshore Wind Industry * * * Today, the North Carolina Department of Commerce announced the release of the NC Taskforce for Offshore Wind Economic Resource Strategies' (NC TOWERS) final report to Governor Roy Cooper and the N.C. General Assem  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 -- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services issued the following news release on Dec. 20, 2024: The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced a $20 million investment made possible by the NC General Assembly in Non-Law Enforcement Transportation, a promising practice of providing trauma-informed transportation for people in mental health crisis who need to be transported from emergency rooms to residential treatment  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Dec. 21 (TNSres) -- The North Carolina Department of Commerce issued the following news release: The state's seasonally adjusted November 2024 unemployment rate was 3.7 percent, unchanged from October's revised rate. The national rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 4.2 percent. North Carolina's unemployment rate increased 0.1 of a percentage point from a year ago. The number of people employed decreased 1,747 over the month to 5,065,649 and increased 4,027 over  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 -- Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, issued the following news release: Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) today announced the Senate Republican Conference committee assignments for the 119th Congress. The assignments have been ratified by the Senate Republican Conference and are expected to be ratified by the full Senate early next Congress. Agriculture John Boozman, Arkansas Mitch McConnell, Kentucky John Hoeven, North Dakota Joni Ernst, Iowa Cindy Hyde-Smith, Mississippi Roge  more

WASHINGTON, Dec. 20 -- Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, issued the following news release: Today, Senator Tillis issued the following statement on the bipartisan government funding bill that includes more than $100 billion in disaster relief for states and communities hit by natural disasters, including North Carolina during Hurricane Helene: "Western North Carolina will need significant resources to be made whole again, and I'm proud to have worked alongside my colleagues in both parties t  more